Railroad-tie



Patented Oct. 28, 1890.

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m m M m. 4 m m m M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUFUS OSBORN, OF TEKONSIIA, MICHIGAN.

RAILROAD-TIE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,174, dated October 28,1890.

Application filed June 16, 1890. Serial No. 355,695. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RUFUS OSBORN, of Tekonsha, in the county of Calhoun and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Railroad-Ties.

-My invention consists of certain improvements in the construction of railroad-ties, whereby greater strength, durability, and a uniformity of the T-rail bearing are obtained, thereby doingaway with much of the labor in keeping up a road-bed where the common wooden or other iron tie is used. This means is accomplished by making a bed-piece of cast, malleable, forged, or rolled iron or steel of suitable dimensions for holding and securing into place a cross-tie of wood and a continuous cushion or bearing of wood for the T- rail and the further preparation of the roadbed with a coating of cinders and coal-tar, separately or combined, as an anti-rust preparation for the metal used in the construction of my ties.

I am aware that combined iron and wooden ties have been patented, and also that cinders are used on road-beds; but I am not aware that a cinders and coal-tar preparation Neither am I aware that a combined metal and wooden tie for the purposes set forth in this specification has been patented. Therefore I do not claim, broadly, the combination of wood and iron or the coal-tar and cinders in the construction of a tie only as and for the purposes set forth in this specification.

To enable others skilled in the art to construct my invention, I will proceed to describe my improvements, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, in wl1i ch Figure 1 is a perspective view. Fig. 2 is an end view looking directly at the T-rail ends and showing a oross-sectional view of the railroad-bed with a coating A of coal-tar, cinders, &c. Fig. 3 is a side view. direct top view of a cross-tie plate and its wings. Secured to the right is a coupling and clamps bolted into position. Fig. 5 is a detail of one end of a cross-tie plate. Fig. 6 is a detail of a portion of a cross-tie plate and its wing.

Fig. 4 is a" In the drawings like letters refer to corresponding parts.

In Fig. 1, arepresents a cross-tie of wood, which, with its bed-plate 0, forms a rigid connection for its wings cl cl with the T-rail bearing 1) 17, secured by clamps e 8, with bolts ff, through the coupling g. The tie-plate c is made of plate metal, iron, or steel, formed into shape by bending its edges upon itself, then turning again its remaining edges at right angles with the bottom of the plate, leavinga space between the upturned flaps for holding the cross-tie a, of wood. The outer edges of the wings d d are made in like man= ner, while their inner edges are left fiat and perforated with elongated or round holes, as shown at h, through which run bolts for securing in place the clamps e e, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4. I

In Fig. 5 is shown a portion of a cross-tie plate, illustrating that part on a line with w where the wing cl crosses. This portion is bent downward and underneath the wings d d the thickness and width of the material used in their construction.

Previous to crimping the tie-plate cand the outer edges of the wings cl d, Figs. 5 and 6, they are cut into on their edges the desired depth of the crimp, and opposite to the width of the crossing this portion i of the iron is bent upon itself, thereby making a doubly strong bearing at'a point Where the strain on the cross-tie comes.

The T-rail bearing 1) consists of timber of suitable dimensions for securing, with spikes jj, the T-rail lo. Said timber should be of a sufficient length to extend from cross-tie to cross-tie, and together with the cross-tie a forms a continuous bearing for the T-rail 76- a desirable object for securing a uniformity of evenness to the rail-grade and a surety against breakage of the T-rail, as is often the case where the wooden tieis used, especially where rails are connected between ties.

The wings d d may be made of a length sufficient to'include one or more cross-ties, the cross-ties being placed with reference to the kind of rolling-stock going over them-closely together for heavy stock and at a distance apart for light stock, street-railways, on bridges, &c.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 4, e 6 represent a clamp of plate steel or iron made with a series of projections Z on its upper edge. The projections 1 Z are made at intervals along the upper edge of the clamp by punching with suitable machinery the metal in such a manner as to leave the metal still in contact,'but at an angle from the clamp itself. On the lower edge of this clamp is a series of bolt-holes m, Fig. 4. The object of this detachable clamp is to provide an easyand quick method for placing or taking out and replacing the T- rail bearing 1) without disturbing the rail itself other than removing the spikes between cross-ties.

To provide an unbroken connection between the wings ends and to prevent the railbearing from working in its bed, g g represent a coupling-plate of like material to the tie-plate and wings, previously described, 0f sufficient width to cover the joint where the wings (Z d unite. This coupling-plate extends from track to track and has its ends turned up either square or rounding, as illustrated, and is secured in place by bolts f. This coupling has athreefold purposeviz.,asa means of firmly uniting the union of the wings dd,

as a method to prevent the spread of the rails between cross-ties, and as an intermediate cross-tie.

n, Fig. 4, represents a series of perforations I make in the bottom of the tie-plate c and the wings (Z (I as a means of letting 01f such moisture as might collect and tend to rust the iron and decay the wood used in their construction.

In Fig 2, A represents a coating of cinders and coal-tar, either separately or combined. This preparation is placed on the road-bed previous to laying the ties and acts as an anti-rust foundation for the iron used in my ties, and tends, also, to keep the metal from sinking into the ground.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of the cross-tie a with the bed-plate 0, its wings d d, their clampsee, and coupling g g, secured by bolts f f, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the wings d d, and the clamps e c, securing the T-rail bearing 1), substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the bed-plate c and the wings d d with the cinders and coal-tar preparation A, all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

RUFUS OSBORN.

Witnesses:

S. O. FRENCH, J. M. FRENCH. 

